Seven Seats Away
by Pixelated Optimism
Summary: It was Akizuki's role to chase him, to think of him everyday, to wonder if he was fine, to worry of he was in pain, to annoyingly be troubled if he started inching a little too far out of her reach . . . even if the distance was just seven seats.


Seven Seats Away

Author: Pixelated Optimism

* * *

He blinked several times.

"What?"

He smiled warily, like it was a common knowledge.

"Don't act blur" pouted one Tsukishiro Yukito "I know you know, Touya"

Irritation was slowly piling on his tongue, altering the sweetness of the candy sitting inside his mouth.

"Know what?!" he asked. Yuki looked at him as if it was revolting that he didn't know something.

"Didn't Nakuru t-?"

His patience was on the edge, rolling his eyes he resumed walking. Yuki followed him in hot pursuit.

"Touya-"

Pissed, he turned at his food-devouring, innocent best friend and sighed.

"Look, I don't care whatever silly business Akizuki is up to, so stop pestering me about that good-for-nothing idiot and mind your bread-"

Yuki gripped the bread he had protectively. Before Touya could even turn he saw him try to recover from his counter-argument, but he saved himself and walked away with his usual grumpy self.

And then he had to stop.

The good-for-nothing was standing in front of him.

He was expecting her yell his name and glomp him for all he cared.

Yet it didn't came.

He looked at her face. Etched there was a pretty but painful smile.

He had hardly opened his mouth to tell her to go to hell when she bowed her head, greeted Yuki a good morning, grunted a small greeting to him, and sharply turned at the opposite direction, as if Touya had a contagious disease.

There was a pregnant pause after. Touya looked at Yuki and gave him a searching look.

"Seriously, what's happening?"

Yuki gave a small smile and huffed, biting his bread with a shrug.

"I don't know. I only mind my bread" he said, walking ahead of him.

Touya was rendered speechless.

* * *

He breathed defiantly, sending pins and needles to that good for nothing referee who had kicked him out of the game. Seriously, this was Akizuki's fault. There he was ready to score a goal when she pops into his mind, her painful smile scorching his very sanity and loosing him to oblivion and before he knew it he was already colliding with his team mates, the ball already in the possession of the opponent. Everything seemed too chaotic and ugly and unknown when she enters the picture.

And Touya hates her for it.

Removing the towel off his head his peripheral vision catches something. Automatically looking at his right, seven seats away in that old bleacher, was Akizuki.

She must have been there for ages, because she already looked perturbed with his sight, a chocolate bar suspended on her cherry lips. When his gaze melded against hers she suddenly went to a start, and just like what happened yesterday, before Touya could say something she already scampered away like an electrified cat.

* * *

He messed up again.

Buchou was already sending him the 'what-the-hell-is-happening' look as he missed another goal. His team mates where no where near happy with his performance.

And yes, it was her fault.

_Always._

It had been Touya's greatest annoyance, thinking what the hell Akizuki was doing, avoiding him and such.

Well, looking at the bright side this was what he wanted, right?

To get rid of her leech-like existence that has so pestered him for eternity was like a long forgotten miracle and here it is; happening before his very eyes, the very thing he desired most since she came trampling his life and toying with his emotions.

To be free from her glomps and sudden hugs and kiss-stealing tactics, to never hear that booming, pixie voice calling him from seven hallways, to be safe from her futile attempts of making him like her, to be free of threats from that blue-haired freak, to never see that pretty smile, to never hear that hum she so liked to sing whenever she forces him to walk her home, to never smell her strawberry scented hair, to never see those brown puppy eyes, and her childish pouts and rants about the chocolates and candies she had never tried because Yuki and he gobbled it up first, and to be free of her bell-like chuckles.

To be finally free from Akizuki Nakuru was a relief.

Finally, Kami-sama had heeded his deepest prayers.

* * *

"I thought you hated strawberry?"

Yuki blandly looked at him. Touya raised a brow and gave him a quizzical look. Yuki pointed the cold drink in his hands, fresh from the vendo.

"You brought a strawberry milkshake, Touya" he said simply. Touya looked at the drink sitting icily on his hand.

"Dunno . . ." he went, his mind suddenly going blank as he continued to stare at the drink on his hand. How the hell did he got a strawberry milkshake on his hand? He hated strawberry, only Akizuki had the courage to drink this muck . . .

"Must have pressed the wrong button" Yuki shrugged, opening his iced tea.

"Yeah" he stupidly agreed "I did . . ."

Yuki bit his melon bread.

* * *

Sakura went running on the music room and gave him a bemused look.

"What's the piece, I've never heard it before" she asked, sitting beside him. Touya looked at her little kaiju rather surprisingly, not even stopping as his fingers rolled over the keys.

"It's mother's-"

Sakura mirrored his expression.

"It's not Mother's" she shook her head, and Touya heard his own undoing. It was a familiar melody, and definitely kaiju was right. Vehemently innocent, he was playing what he realized was that hum Akizuki always sung on their solitary walks for home.

His fingers froze under his eyes.

"Oh, please play it!" chimed Sakura "It sounded wonderful and calm and happy!"

But he just stared at the keys.

* * *

He saw it, that swishing chocolate tresses of her, then her eyes, then her lips, then that long forgotten hum, and he felt breathless. . .

"Touya-"

"Na-"

He dropped off from his dream and looked at Yuki, who was explaining something, pointing his notes. He sighed and perched his chin on his hand.

"Na?" he asked, and instantaneously, Touya blushed.

"Nothing" he breathed, trying to recover from something embarrassing. Yuki gave a sheepish look and took interest on the clouds hovering outside the window.

"You're getting creepier and creepier" he mumbled "Spacing out like that"

"Look who's talking" he grumbled "I'm hungry"

He stood and looked outside the window. The girls are having a friendly basketball match against the boys, but the cheering squads of each side where turning more war-like. The boys were taking the lead.

Akizuki could have led the girls in victory. She had this knack for basketball supremacy just like Yuki she can. . .

Pain consumed him like fire clawing its way through ice. Walking away from the window he tried to act reserved and sit back in front of Yuki, who was still musing with the clouds.

_Why?_

He sat there, blankly looking at the ground.

Why would she act so. . .cold and distant?

He tried to review his innocence. There was nothing much to it besides proving he was guilty. He never said modest stuff whenever she was around. His sentences ran like 'Go to hell', 'I don't care', 'Get lost', and some similar painful words he could throw at her face.

And weirdly, she never cared. She just smiles and continues to bug him.

He was always swatting hew away, always keeping seven seats away from her, for reasons so stupid and redundant.

She was annoying, she was no good, she only caused him trouble. She was never human, anyway, and she acts out of impulses, she's repulsive, unknown, frightening.

It was his role to keep their distance.

He could well remember how she swore she'll never give up, that someday she'll be able to catch him off guard, that sooner or later he'd give in and like her, just so badly like what she feels for him.

_Then why?_

* * *

She found her sitting on the bleachers, alone.

She wore a large parka with the hood covering her chocolate tresses, and at her sight he breathed relief. He thought the worse when that blue-haired freak of Eriol told him she wasn't home since who knows when, and that she was acting extra weird and such. She looked like she was nibbling something, probably another bar of chocolate.

He sat, seven seats away.

She realized she was not alone. She froze and looked at her left.

Touya was sitting there.

Seven seats away.

She dropped the half-violated chocolate bar guiltily.

He looked ahead of him amusingly, then he suddenly broke into a smile.

Get out of here.

She grabbed her bag, ready to run.

He laughed hard.

Instead of running she remained on her seat and looked at one Kinimoto Touya, laughing heartily.

Then he faltered.

It was Sunday, and the school grounds were deserted. It was a small chance, he knew, but he dared to defy school rules, the law abiding Kinimoto Touya, sneaked inside the school only to find her nibbling a chocolate on the old bleachers . . .

Seven seats away from him.

He never cared, really. She could burn to hell and he'd throw a party to celebrate her incineration. He could continually live his life normally without her, and he'd be very happy. She could get off and marry some random stranger in the street and he'll personally, whole-heartedly, give them his blessing. She could run away and he'd be running too, in a different direction.

Damn, she could even sit seven seats away, and he would never, ever budge the slightest to get near her.

_Because that's her job._

It was Akizuki's role to chase him, to think of him everyday, to wonder if he was fine, to worry of he was in pain, to annoyingly be troubled if he started inching a little too far out of her reach.

Even if the distance was just seven seats.

"Anou. . ." she innocently started "Kinimoto-kun"

_Kinimoto?_

He looked at her.

She smiled, that pretty smile.

"If you're here to think I'd be happy to leave you in peace" she said.

She grabbed her bag and stood, nibbling on her chocolate as she turned and left.

He felt all his strength leave him as he watched her walk away, seven, thirteen, twenty seats. . .

"Nakuru"

She stopped abruptly and turned around, her chocolate tresses swinging.

She was always bugging him to call her by her name, as what she did, calling her Touya and everything.

And now he managed to do the same. He called her by her name.

_He called her Nakuru._

He was expecting a beam, followed by a knowing grin and a chirp that said '_See, Touya. You like me after all. You called me Nakur_u.'

She bit her lip and smiled.

"Silly" she said "It's A-ki-zu-ki"

She bowed and continued walking away.

* * *

"Burn to hell"

Yuki looked at him, then to Nakuru who was just on her way inside the school building. Touya breathed and squarely looked at her.

"G-Good morning too, Kin-"

"Get lost" he snapped, and Yuki dropped his jaws.

"Touya that's awfully rude-"

"She deserves it" he spat, looking at her he breathed and said "I hate you, Akizuki"

She just stood there, taken aback. Yuki tried to intervene.

"Sorry Nakuru-chan. Touya ate something bad and now he's grum-"

"I didn't ate anything bad" he breathed angrily "I hate Akizuki"

There, he said it. She would never, ever, ever let him hate her. That would ruin her world, surely. She would come galloping back, begging for forgiveness, asking what she had done, and he'd play along, make sure things are back to what they used to be.

"Okay"

She nodded, and smiled.

"Have a nice day"

And she left.

* * *

He kicked the ball too hard.

The clouds were fat and dark, and a thin sheet of rain was plodding down the soccer field.

It was now rolling away and away from him, and he was too fed up, too frustrated, too tired to follow it.

And just like any other time, everything painfully reminded him of her.

Did he kicked her too hard, pushed her too far, that she got tired and decided to never came back?

_Perhaps he did._

* * *

Now everything had connived and mock him.

It was a cheery afternoon, bright and calm and cool, and there he was, aimlessly walking his way home alone.

_Alone._

He wondered how pain and exhaustion and anger and sadness could exist all at the same time, on that small space on his chest.

_All because of her._

Without knowing it, his feet automatically stopped.

* * *

"Wha-"

"Where is she?"

He could have laughed and mused at the look Eriol had given him; flabbergasted and awed. He seemed to have recovered at his question, because his face smoothed and a smirk appeared on his lips.

"This is the second time you have inquired about my guardian, Kinimoto"

"If I'm lucky I could reach your quota" he spat, smirking back. He could have waged a war of words against the freak master, but he felt too cheated and betrayed, and a little afraid he might give him the answers he feared worst.

"Pity" he said, sinking back on his large chair. "I thought this game was the other way around?"

Now the freak was enjoying, setting him on edge.

"Please" he tried to sound flat, tried to hide that desperation underlying on his voice "Where is Akizuki?"

He mused and settled his cheek against the back of his hand. The heathen black cat jumped off the floor and sat on his lap.

"I don't know, Spinel either" he shrugged "Perhaps on a candy store, or a silent place. Vivacious as she is she has taken an eccentric liking of refuge on silence, sometimes" he added a knowing smile.

What a vague answer, but he wanted more facts.

"I don't understand-"

"I can give you no help, Kinimoto, seeing that you're not even helping yourself" he sighed.

The cat gave him a smile.

Then an idea fell on his head. Stupid and worthless and absurd.

He ran past the freak and his heathen cat and went upstairs.

* * *

"Suppi-chan, How many times do I have to tell-"

She froze as she opened the door. Touya forced himself in.

"Wha- Why?" she went as he walked steadily past her and went for the window, but before he could even do so he stopped.

The walls were plastered with stolen shots of him. He blushed and turned at her.

"Meanie!" she breathed, embarrassed. She was fine, Her large brown eyes still bright, her cheeks red, her tresses in a large mess.

He heaved a sigh and dropped on her bed instead.

"Look who's talking" he scoffed. She bit her lip and leaned on the door.

"I'm not doing any-"

"Oh, yeah, avoiding me at all expense and acting like you never cared for hell even if I hated you and all" he breathed, and she flinched upon every word. He watched her wring her hands and avoid his gaze.

"I only did what Touya-kun wanted"

His heart stopped.

She somehow found the courage and met his eyes.

"You shouldn't be here" she shook her head, and she took a step towards him. Taking his arm she pulled him off the bed.

"Come on, Touya" she said silently, tugging him "Please"

And stupidly, willingly, he stood, and she slowly led him out.

He looked at her small hand, gently clasped around his.

They walked past the freak and his cat, then out of the doors, into their spacious yard, then at the gate.

She let go and bowed before going back inside.

* * *

He badly evaluated himself.

He had called her Nakuru, blundered all his soccer matches thinking why she would act distant, asked that freak Eriol for her whereabouts for two consecutive times, nipped off the school to make sure she was fine and everything and barged into her room only to be led out.

He had all the chances, and all he did was to remain silent and passive.

_Idiot._

_That idiot._

He was already reversing their roles. He was clawing his way to her, desperately figuring out what was wrong, racking his brains as to how to reach her.

_He was slowly inching, closing in that distance he preserved for ages._

And that was what she wanted, right? And for the love of everything all she did was to inch back, away.

He had swallowed that large pride of his and did absurd things only to be avoided.

Yeah, Kinimoto Touya, the desperate great idiot, sitting on his place at the bleachers, hoping he'd run to her.

"Oh"

He looked at his right and saw her, with that large parka and bag and yes, another bar of chocolate.

"Sorry" she squeaked, and readied herself for a run.

And this painful rewind of everything made him throw all rationality.

"And where the hell do you think you're going?"

He snapped too loudly perhaps, because she looked guilty and she fell on a seat.

Seven seats away.

And he stood and slowly walked.

Six

Five

Four

Three

Two

And he fell on the chair next to her.

"Tou-"

They fell into a thick silence. He grumpily took her chocolate bar and nibbled it in silence.

She was staring at him. Wide eyed, he glared at her as he busied himself with the chocolate.

"What?" he snapped, and she immediately shook her head.

"Nothing" she breathed and looked at her toes.

Yeah. He just closed in that distance. Desperately, vehemently, boldly. . .

_Seven seats away._

* * *

_I posted this a long time ago and I just had to re-do it again, please don't kick me out I'm a good girl._ Thanks and reviews would be gladly welcomed, petted and cared :)


End file.
